June 2010

Thank you, John.
John and I had a wonderful partnership in Chicago. The research he and his colleagues at the Consortium on Chicago School Research produced was like a compass for those of us who were working so hard to reform the schools there. Wherever possible, our key decisions were driven...

Thank you, President Murphy. It's a pleasure to be here this morning to join in celebrating the class of 2010's success.
I want to begin with a confession today: I was a little intimidated to learn about some of the celebrity orators who speak at commencement ceremonies in the Bay Area.
A...

Thank you, President Miner, for that very generous introduction and for your extraordinary leadership. It's an honor to be here this evening, and to join in celebrating the class of 2010's success.
I am thrilled to be here to offer my congratulations to each and every one of you, to your parents...

Thank you, Mark, for that gracious introduction. It's a pleasure to be here today to meet the Annapolis Group, to discuss the significance of the liberal arts in general, to address what I think are several popular misconceptions about liberal arts colleges and universities, and to open a dialogue...

Thank you. It's an honor to speak to the nation's oldest and largest volunteer child advocacy organization.
Ever since Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst founded what would become the PTA in 1897, the PTA has led the fight to improve the education and health of our nation's...

Thank you Dr. McCurdy, Board of Trustees, Honorary Society members, faculty, staff, and distinguished alumni.
To members of the class of 2010, your families, and friends, congratulations on this important day in your lives, the lives of your nation, and the life of this institution.
Your...

Good morning. It's a great honor to be here today among America's faith leaders. It's an even greater honor to follow in the shoes of heroes like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who spoke here in 1962.
Not a day goes by that I don't think of him, and draw inspiration from him.
His crusade for...

Thank you Mr. Otieno and President Calvin for that generous introduction and for this honorary degree, which I will treasure for the rest of my life. It is an honor to join you this morning to celebrate the success of the Class of 2010. To our graduates, to the faculty, staff, the administration,...

Last September, I had the opportunity to speak at the National HBCU conference in Washington, DC, at which many of you were present. I shared with you my conviction that HBCUs must not merely survive but thrive. Today, I want to update you on what we and HBCUs, working together, have accomplished...

Good afternoon, students, parents and teachers.
I am here today to celebrate your success and Banneker's success. They often say that success has many parents.
Your success is earned, first of all, from your hard work and perseverance -- qualities that are in each of you -- and so I begin...